U.S. Soccer’s Latest Proposal to Modernize College Soccer
Last month, amid rapid changes to the college sports landscape, the NextGen College Soccer Committee in partnership with U.S. Soccer released a report entitled “Ensuring College Soccer Thrives in the Modern Era of College Athletics and the Changing U.S. Soccer Landscape.” Citing modern changes to the sport, the report lists and explains recommendations to modernize college soccer and emphasize values like community, equity, and competitive balance.
Specifically, the report emphasizes the communal aspect of college soccer, highlights the global success of the USWNT, as well as increases in professional opportunities for elite soccer players, and acknowledges that many professional and Olympic players and coaches are products of collegiate soccer.
The report also acknowledges challenges to college soccer, in context of the broader college sports industry, including:
Financial pressure
Conference realignment and the geographical strain on athletes
Surges in interest in professional men’s and women’s soccer and increases in marketing potential
Developments in U.S. Soccer strategy (including In Service to Soccer, a strategic initiative by U.S. Soccer to promote soccer through increasing accessibility and community engagement, and the U.S. Way, a similar initiative that stresses the importance of pathways, infrastructure, and professional development to grow the sport) that emphasize the “criticality of the 17–23-year-old life stage and the associated importance of college soccer”
The unsustainable balance of mental, physical, and academic demands of the current collegiate model and NCAA soccer schedule
Limited media exposure for elite talent
Discrepancies between men’s and women’s soccer programs and concerns about competitive balance
The report promotes the idea that in order for college soccer to be sustainable in the long term, it must address sustainability on several fronts. For example, the report acknowledges changes in the college sports landscape, like the House settlement, that necessitate the sport of soccer increase its financial potential. In light of conference realignment, the report also stresses the challenges geographical distance is presenting to the sport and its athletes. And while the college sports industry as a whole often affords male athletes more spending and resources, overspending on football and men’s basketball often means that Olympic sports, like college soccer, tend to favor women. The report emphasizes that in college soccer, this equals out to significant discrepancies in the professional development potential of men’s college soccer, where 350 D1 programs sponsor women’s soccer programs versus 213 for men. Furthermore, while about 70% of Olympic soccer players on the women’s side have collegiate experience, only about 38% of men can say the same.
To address these issues, the report emphasizes three “must haves,” or outcomes for the sport to strive toward in order to become sustainable long-term:
College soccer must be financially beneficial to universities
College soccer must be better suited to athletes’ academic needs
College soccer must act as a training ground for national and international talent (particularly for men’s soccer players)
Importantly, the report acknowledges that while D2, D3, NAIA, and other divisions of soccer programs could benefit from these outcomes, their primary focus is D1 programs.
The report addresses several ways the sport should adapt in order to meet these goals. Recommendations include:
U.S. Soccer and others should adopt ways to keep soccer players in the game for life through subsidized coaching certifications, referee training, and access to soccer-related careers, including analytics, media, and marketing jobs.
U.S. Soccer should offer services to cut costs, increase standards, and connect with the U.S. Way via increased technology, training toolkits, etc
Increase contacts with elite players and coaches through showcases, training toolkits, and other resources
More formally track and communicate about player development
Modernize college soccer eligibility
Emphasize focus on the 17-23 age range for player development
Coordinate scheduling with national and international soccer programming
Clarify the transfer timing of college soccer players
Increase commercial opportunities for college soccer players
Increase awareness of national championships for commercial audiences
Revamp the competitive schedule of men’s and women’s college soccer to maximize rest and recovery, minimize travel, and increase commercial opportunities
The report emphasizes that stakeholders will begin promoting these findings and recommendations at the start of the academic year, and will offer coaches and players the opportunity to voice their opinions. The goal is to draft formalized proposals to be considered in the fall. Whether or not the recommended changes will take place by then is yet to be seen, but the proposal serves as an important reminder that all college sports are in a time of flux and uncertainty. U.S. Soccer’s flexibility to adapt during such a time might prompt governing bodies of other Olympic sports to publish similar proposals in the future to keep with the times.
